Home Building FAQs
General FAQs
HiLine Homes has built thousands of custom homes on homeowners’ properties for nearly 30 years. While we provide our homeowners with resources and access to professionals throughout the building process, this FAQ may be able to help answer some of the more general questions you have when preparing for your new home.
Site development is the work of preparing your land to build your custom home on. Site development depends upon a number of factors, such as location, soil conditions, terrain, and the time of year. The more trees, debris, and other items to be cleared can impact the overall cost of your new custom home. HiLine has a long list of local sub-contractors experienced in clearing and excavating your area to ensure your site is prepared on time.
The best way to determine the cost of building your new custom home is to schedule a home-building consultation. Our knowledgeable Home Consultants will review the process of building a new home and answer your questions. During the consultation, we will review the total project cost. This would include the purchase of your property, site development, as well as the home, and features that will fit your lifestyle and budget.
When building a new custom home you may need to secure a construction loan. This is a short-term loan that will be used to purchase the land, site development costs, as well as build your home.
HiLine Homes has researched industry leaders and developed a list of approved lenders who are exceptional in construction financing.
The first step to getting a loan to build your new home is to complete a loan pre-qualification form.
The definition of a site visit is when a professional meets with a client at the job site to review the project. Our HiLine Home site visit typically looks like this:
- The first site visit will be with your Home Consultant for a visual review of your property.
- Then you will be assigned a Pre-Construction Manager who will review the site and indicate when it’s ready for the foundation to be poured.
- Once the foundation is complete, you will be assigned a Project Manager to conduct the remainder of your site visits and manage the construction of your custom home with a team of builders.
In the custom home building industry, turn key means you are hiring a general contractor to complete your entire custom home building project. You will not be able to prepare the property, and/or participate in the building process.
The assumed benefit of a turn-key build is that you go about your life with minimal interruptions since the contractor is taking care of every detail. Unfortunately, the cost for managing the entire project will drive up the total project cost, and in most cases, it will eliminate the possibility of having instant equity.
An “on-your-lot” home builder’s focus is building a complete home on your prepared property. The site development is the responsibility of the homeowner. The specific requirements will depend on the home builder’s program. The owner has many benefits in managing their property development, such as the possibility of building sweat equity in their home.
HiLine Homes is considered an “on-your-lot” home builder. Our building program has been designed to help families achieve the dream of home ownership at an affordable price.
A construction or building permit is necessary to start the construction of your custom home. Visit your local building department to ask about their specific requirements. Most jurisdictions have a wealth of information on their websites for construction homes. Your local Home Consultant is a knowledgeable resource regarding construction permits.
After you have chosen from our floor plans and ordered your HiLine Home, we will engineer it specifically for your property location and provide you with documentation to start the process of your building permit application. Our Pre-Construction team is a great resource who will guide you throughout this process.
Model custom homes are set up to help future homeowners make informed decisions. Model homes or design centers may be viewed as educational centers where you can experience the quality features that will be in your custom home and view standard and upgraded features. By visiting model homes, people can confirm their selected home features that would make them happy in the long run.
Find the location nearest to you to visit one of our model homes or design centers or schedule an appointment. Many families are pleasantly surprised to see that our standard features fit their design tastes.
Equity is the difference between what is owed on the home versus how much it is worth. At HiLine Homes, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable custom homes for families, giving them a strong equity position. Learn more about the importance of equity, what ‘sweat’ equity is, and how it’s achievable through our unique building program.
The short answer is anywhere from six months to over one year.
Every custom home project includes two phases: the site development phase and the build phase. Check out our build timeline for more details.
The development timeframe can vary based on many factors regarding your specific property. Typically, this timeframe is anywhere from one to six months. A HiLine Home Consultant can help you establish a general timeframe as they learn more about your specific location and property considerations.
Most considerations can be discovered and planned for during a feasibility study. A feasibility study assesses the practicality of a proposed plan or method. The best was to begin your feasibility study is to connect with a HiLine Home Consultant for a home building consultation.
HiLine Homes FAQs
HiLine Homes offers three types of building programs:
- With our Traditional Building Program, we start at the foundation and build a home on your property.
Contact your local Home Consultant for more details and to learn about our homeowner participation.. - With the Shell Program, our builders will get you started by taking care of the foundation, framing system for the walls, roofing, siding, windows, exterior doors, and interior framing. Through the Shell Program, you save costs by taking it from there and finishing your home in the design you want.
- HiLine Homes' popular Super Shell Program includes the Shell Program as well as: rough plumbing, rough electrical, insulation, and sheetrock finished and textured. You can finish with trim, cabinetry, and the interior details that make your home unique. While you may not save as much from the costs, our quality craftsmanship saves you a lot of time and labor.
When you purchase a Shell or Super Shell Program, you may provide your own finish materials to work with. Many clients of HiLine Homes find this to be a beneficial program.
Our building program is designed to be efficient and affordable for the homeowner. To accomplish this, our expert team of builders limits structural changes in the construction process. This allows us to maintain a build time guarantee unique to HiLine Homes. Some exceptions apply; please connect with your local Home Consultant for more details.
A basement is defined as a part of a building that is wholly underground. This space is generally used as additional living space. There are regions of the United States where basements are very common. However, you will find they are not as common in the Pacific Northwest. Part of the reason is due to the high water table. Some home sites are sloped, which may require a stepped foundation. If your home site requires a stepped foundation, it will require additional engineering and materials which increase the cost to build. For more information please connect with a Home Consultant in your region to discuss your specific needs.
Ask an expert about building a custom home on your land.
We’ll connect you with a Home Consultant in your region to schedule your consultation.